More than three months after the official opening of the Critical Care Block at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), two key areas are still not functioning, the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) has announced. When the $100 million block was commissioned in January 22, it was already a year and a half late. As of last week, the block still lacked a functioning endoscopy theater, while the food court remains vacant.
The PHA says both areas will be functional shortly. However, the current administration's abysmal track record on this project does not exactly inspire confidence. For reasons that remain unclear, the Critical Care Block - designed to enhance high priority neonatal and adult treatment capabilities at PMH - has been plagued with setbacks and delays from the moment the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) came to office in May 2012.
Several weeks after the election, the new minister of health, Dr. Perry Gomez, said the much-needed facility was on schedule to open in July 2013. Fast-forward another year, and according to Gomez, everything was still in order, with 80 percent of the construction work having been done.
When the private contractors asked for the handover to be delayed until October 2013 due to complications with underground utilities, the government was essentially handed a three-month extension to get the administrative details in order.
The official line remained that the facility would be ready to open "shortly" after being handed over. But then in December of that year, Gomez announced that the opening would be delayed another four months, citing a lack of equipment and furniture. However, Public Hospitals Authority Chairman Frank Smith later announced that the holdup was not so much about equipment and furniture, as it was about "staffing challenges".
Two months later, Smith said the problem was not actually staff shortages, nor was it equipment, but rather the readiness of "systems". He did not elaborate on this term.
Equipment, furniture, staffing, "systems" - 2014 came and went as the government continued to play musical chairs with explanations and excuses. When the block finally opened in January 22, 2015, Leader of the Opposition Dr. Hubert Minnis warned the public had "been had", as only a portion of the facility was operational.
Gomez admitted that certain areas remained closed, explaining that the government decided to "stagger it". Smith described the further delay as an attempt to ensure that officials "err on the side of caution". And so here we are in May, almost two years after the block's original opening date, and key areas are still not operational.
At least, according to the PHA, as of April 20 surgeries have commenced at the facility. The Critical Care Block is a desperately needed addition to the nation's severely challenged public healthcare system. Bahamians are hoping that this time, when the government promises that it will be fully functional in the near future, it actually sticks to its word.
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